The emancipation of Turkish women

"Women in today's Turkey:

Today, in Turkey, we take pride in the higher percentage and the qualifications of our women in science, in the business sector and, as our
theme suggests, in engineering as compared to other countries. Currently, the rate of women taking university staff positions is 36 percent and the rate of women professors is 25 percent. A total of 31 percent of all architects, 29 percent of all doctors and surgeons and 26 percent of all lawyers are women. The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, for example, which is the leading institution to develop scientific and technological policies in Turkey is headed by a distinguished lady.

None of these could be possible without the "women's revolution" which I mentioned earlier. If we consider the centuries-long discrimination, what Turkish women could achieve in just 85 years of the Republic, in my opinion, is a clear sign that they are as much if not more capable than men in any area we can name. I am not saying this as a compliment but because I truly believe in it.

In fact, it is because of this strong conviction that, in 1993 before I was elected as president, I wholeheartedly wanted to hand over my place as head of my political party, to a lady, who later became the first woman prime minister of Turkey. Turkey is also one of the first countries which had a woman as president of its Constitutional Court.

But, despite all these achievements, we must also admit that there is still a long way to go to fill the huge gap in terms of gender equality. There are still women who suffer from violence, poverty and discrimination. The literacy rate for example, has still not reached the desired level. There is still also a need to change the mindset on this issue. "

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